The first week of classes is passing without much ado.

We don’t have a reading packet for Seminar, just (ha! JUST!) the completion of our research, the analysis of our data, the write-up of our thesis, and the presentation of our findings.

The remaining four classes? I sit in a desk and get lectured at. I am graded only on three exams per class, three classes featuring — get ready for it — multiple-choice questions! Yes! Way to test my comprehension! The political sociology course exams consist of three essay questions, which may prove to actually assess my knowledge and application abilities of the theories.

Oh, there’s also a 2-page, double-spaced “movie analysis” in the psychology of women class, but I don’t count that as a Real Paper because two pages double-spaced is not a paper, it’s a journal entry – an exercise, at best, of seeing how much bullshit I can pull from my ass and smear onto paper in a swirly mock-coherent fashion. The three movies we’ll be watching at various points throughout the semester, from which I can chose one:

• Myths That Maim
• The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (this will be the THIRD time I’ve watched this movie for a women’s studies course)
• Slim Hopes

The first day of class this instructor warned us, “What you get from the textbook will only cover about 60% of the material tested on the exam, the remaining 40% will come from my lectures. You cannot pass the exams with only reading the textbook, so I strongly urge regular class attendance.”

Thursday’s lecture proved the reality of the situation is that 99% will come from the textbook and the remaining 1% will come from the instructor’s lectures. Just like the sociology of marriage class last semester, this instructor takes her lectures straight from the book, and even utilizes the Guaranteed to Put You to Sleep™ PowerPoint Presentations.

I should not bitch too much: I could be swamped with homework assignments beyond readings and lengthy papers to write. Then again, the sort of engagement I’m looking for does not involve doing problem sets out of the book or writing to an audience of one.

1. Coastal – Half Way To You
2. Freezepop – Lazy
3. The Silent League – Breathe
4. Jonah Matranga – A New England
5. Cat Power – Willie
6. Charles Kamm – Dorsia
7. n.Lannon – Hollow Heart
8. The Owls – Air
9. max Min – Lie
10. Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start – By Surprise

BONUS: Background Friday Random Ten-And-Counting:

• AppleCare Battery Recall Phone Support – All Representatives Are Still Busy. Please Continue To Hold For The Next Available Representative

You’d think that with iTunes at their disposal, I’d get better shit than the Eagles’ “The Boys of Summer”.